Better Snacking for Your Health
By Stephen R. Farris
When it comes to eating healthy, it can be hard to find snacks that are compatible with your nutrition goals. Sure, your local market is filled with snacks. Mainly those are potato chips, cookies, ice cream, etc., that are loaded with calories and unhealthy fats. They may also be high in sodium and carbs, and could have hidden sugars in them as well.
So what's the alternative? The answer can usually be found in your grocery store's produce aisle, where the fresh fruits and raw vegetables are located.
There are so many healthy snacks you can make by simply using fresh fruits and raw vegetables. Here's a few to help give you some ideas.
Nuts
What can be more simple than nuts when it comes to healthy snacking. Nuts high in nutrients essential to good health. The best ones to choose (but not limited to) are almonds, cashews, pistachios, and walnuts. As an added bonus, nuts can help reduce your chance of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancers.
Kale Chips
The next time you're tempted to just grab a bag of chips to snack on, try baking some kale. That's right, you can make your own kale chips at home. It's quick and easy. Simply drizzle a generous amount of olive oil onto kale leaves, toss, then bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 275 degrees. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Now you have a healthy snack that counts towards your daily dose of leafy green veggies.
Green Smoothies
With all this talk about healthy snacks, let's not forget that you can have a drink as a snack. To keep it healthy, make it a green smoothie. You can use spinach and/or kale for the greens -- two of the most popular when it comes to making green smoothies -- and throw in some berries (blue or black, or both), nuts, protein powder, carrots, celery, bananas, etc. The list of healthy ingredients that you can add to a green smoothie is long. Green smoothies are a great way to get some protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals into your daily diet. You can make a batch to drink in the morning, and save the rest as an afternoon or evening snack.
The main thing is to avoid highly processed snacks from your grocery store shelf or freezer section, and stick to the healthier ones.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in North Little Rock, Ark.